jettisoned.net » Health http://jettisoned.net/blog Thu, 01 Apr 2010 19:47:37 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Japanese Hangover Cures http://jettisoned.net/blog/2010/02/japanese-hangover-cures-2/ http://jettisoned.net/blog/2010/02/japanese-hangover-cures-2/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:03:51 +0000 Blair http://jettisoned.net/blog/?p=83 The End of Second Day Drunkenness

Science has failed to solve a number of worldly mysteries, perhaps the most notable being the complete inability to find a reliable cure for hangovers. Westerners may not realize the seriousness of hangover cures due to our comparatively slack work habits. You know, us English speakers toss back brews on the weekends like superstitious people throw salt over their shoulder. That’s because we don’t work the next day. Or if we do, we call in sick. For the Japanese, however, being hungover is no excuse for calling in sick. Especially for Saturday work. Saturday work just means you weren’t productive enough during the week, so you just gotta work even harder! That’s why science needs to step up and cure the hangover.

What’s Being Said

I found this article on my Twitter feed. Originally written in 2007, it got picked up recently by a blog search engine and has seen some popular resurgence. The original Japanese is here: http://am6.jp/94S087

Curing Hangovers and 12 Ways to Prevent Them

So you drink a ton and wake up the next day with your head killing you. You’ve had this experience, right? Now you can do something about that harsh hangover, as brought to you by Ono’s Blog. These are things that I’ve heard about and tried, but of course there could be more ways.

  • Run hot water over your head.
  • Drink Heparize. (It seems to be a liver enzyme in a bottle. Yum!)
  • Puke.
  • Stay vertical…just keep standing.
  • Brush your teeth before going to bed.
  • Don’t exercise after drinking.
  • Drink a lot of water.
  • Sleep.
  • Take a digestive aid.
  • Take a long, warm bath.
  • Get a massage.
  • Breathe deeply.

…

Everybody can get overwhelmed by drinking, but if you follow these instructions, you can have a great drinking life!

Maybe it’s cultural differences, but I think the only effective one here is drinking water. OK, not working out after drinking and sleeping are good suggestions, too. But really, who doesn’t want a bath and massage after a night out?

]]> http://jettisoned.net/blog/2010/02/japanese-hangover-cures-2/feed/ 2 Soybeans Prevent Lung Cancer! If You’re a Non-Smoking Man… http://jettisoned.net/blog/2010/02/soybeans-prevent-lung-cancer-if-youre-a-non-smoking-man/ http://jettisoned.net/blog/2010/02/soybeans-prevent-lung-cancer-if-youre-a-non-smoking-man/#comments Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:50:01 +0000 Blair http://jettisoned.net/blog/?p=73 Mom always said to eat your natto…

The Japanese Health, Labor, and Welfare ministry recently announced the results of an 11 year long study on the health benefits of soybeans. Turns out that they’ll drastically reduce your chances for lung cancer! But, only if you don’t smoke. Oh! And you have to be a man, too. But if you meet these requirements, score! Eat up that tofu! Snarf down that natto! Edamame ahoy! Just, whatever you do, don’t smoke. Ever. Sound advice.

What’s Being Said

The original article can be viewed here: http://www.asahi.com/science/update/0205/TKY201002050328.html

Soybean Products Protect Against Lung Cancer–But Only for Non-Smoking Men

The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare announced that men who don’t smoke and eat a lot of soybean products like tofu and natto have a lower risk of lung cancer compared to men who don’t fit either category. It seems that there’s a connection between the lower cancer risk and the isoflavones in the soybeans.

The research looked at a total of 76,000 men and women aged 45-74 over the course of 11 years. From the first day, the people were split into 4 groups depending on how much soybean products they ate, and then their cancer rates were compared.

The results found that in men that didn’t smoke and ate the most amount of soybean products, eating the amount of isoflavones found in 200 grams of tofu compared to those that ate only about 40 grams of isoflavones, had a 57% less chance of lung cancer. 40 grams of tofu isoflavone can be found in about 3 packs of natto.

As for men that had once smoked and since quit, there was no difference in the cancer rates. Women that ate a lot of soybean products did show a bit lower rate of cancer, but nothing as to be statistically significant.

Because isoflavones are so close to female hormones, there could be possibilities that eating them might help prevent breast cancer and prostate cancer.

According to the head researcher on the project, “In seeing that there’s no effect on people who quit smoking, it shows just how much lingering damage smoking causes at the genetic level.”

So, if you want to really make sure that lung cancer doesn’t affect you, eat that tofu burger and gobble down the natto. Just don’t go for a smoke after.

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